Relief valve



Sept. 12, 1944. M. c. RANDALL RELIEF VALVE Fil'ed March 23, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet l aura/v5 0F VAL VA SEGMENIS l/VOPEA/ Pas/170M Mrs/woe I C Rana a WIT/V588:

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Sept. 12, 1944. M. c. RANDALL RELIEF VALVE Filed March 23, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i a Y. M MW 5 3 MR w .wfi 5 a n m W 7 F J n M w 3 w M m m w 4 V a K s a M \q. X 4 J W 4 3 r m 6 2 f 2 Sept. 12, 1944. M. c. RANDALL 2,358,101

RELIEF VALVE Filed March 23, 1943 3 Sheets-$heet 3 W/T/VfSS: Mm

\ UNlTED STATE PatentedSept. 12, 1944 f Merwyn C. Randall, Philadelphia, Pa. Application March 23, 1943, Serial No. 480,139

3 Claims. (Cl. 137- -53) V The present inventionrelates to relief valves adapted to relieve a pressure vessel or steamturbine or other apparatus from pressure in excess of that for which it was designed.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a relief valve costing much less than conventional relief valves of comparable quality and reliability; to provide a relief valve free fromany appurtenances which throughcarelessness on the F part of the operator might cause it tofail' to function thus affording maximum operating reliability; toprovide a relief valve construction which precludes failure under the most adverse operating conditions; to provide a relief valve that may be used successfully. in both high and low pressure operations and for any temperature condition within commonly accepted steam or gas practice; to provide a relief valve which when opened remains in that position until manually closed and serviced; to provide a relief valve which requires no maintenance once it is installed in operating position; 'to provide a relief valve in which the relieving area can be definitely established for stallation' Q o r I Figure '2 is an end view of the bumper element atmospheric relief valve for a shown in'Figurel drawn toan enlargedscale.

FigureB is a, top or plan view of the middle I portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a view looking from I right to 7 left in Figure l and. showing a face view of the ring with parts omitted.

Figure 5 is a top view of I atthe top and'bottom of Figure 4 and drawn to e an enlarged scale.

any quantity of steam, gas orother fluid; to pro- 'vide a relief valve which will relieve the total steam flow to a turbine in case of failure of the V condenser circulating water; to provide a relief valve which will insure a positive mechanical seal 7 against air infiltration such as would destroy a v condenser vacuum; to provide a condenser valve which willinsurenquickrelief under relatively Qsmall reversal of pressure; to provide a relief valve which will insure free unobstructed flow in one direction by positively removin a sealing sheet or diaphragm in such a way that a predetermined cross sectional area in the relief opening in which it is installed is insured, and, generally to provide a comparatively inexpensive, re liable and efiicientrelief valve.

Other objects ofthe invention will appear from the following description at the end of which the invention will be claimed. Generally stated, the invention consists of a ring provided at the inner edge with a rabbet or groove constituting a gate seat and defining a face; a pair of semi-circular gates diametrically pivoted in the ring and normally closed in respect to said seat but free to open under differential pressure on its oppositefaces; and a thin diaphragm covering the face of the gates ;and the face of the-ring and sealing the joint between the two, said diaphragm constructed and arranged to be sheared when the gates are opened.

The invention also comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

In the following description reference will be -"made to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which, 7

Figure l is an elevational view partly in section of a relief valve embodying features of the present invention showing the same inapplication as an (Figure 6 is a sectional view of Figure '5; and

Figure"? is a sectional view taken generally I through a lock pin IT in Figure'4.

In the drawings, I i 'a ring provided at its inner edge with a rabbet or groove 2" and also i with a face 3. In the rabbet or groove 2 is mount- .ed a'ring 4 rabbetted on its inner edge and. de-

fining a seat 5. Band '1 indicate a pair of semi-' circular gates ldiametricallypivoted in the ring I and in closed position seated in seat 5; The. ring 4 is secured in the groove or rabbet 2 by means ofscrews or lag bolts 8*. Thefgates as shown are reinforced by rib indicatedin dotted lines in Figure 4. The gates are respectively provided with pivots 8 shown'as. disposed vertically. The

pivots are journaled at the top and bottom of the ring l. The pivots are J'ournaled in sleeves 9, Figure 6, and these sleeves are mounted between the ring 4 and the ring I. For this purpose blocks H) in the form on one edge of a circle and on the I other edge of a flat surface are employed. The

ends of ,the pivots rest on the spherical surface of elements I I, Figure 1. 12 are plugs for closing the openings into which the screw elements are inserted. 1

v I 3 indicates shown in the form of a disk and it overlies'the face 3 of the'ring I, the face 5 of the ring 4, and the face of'the gates. One or both of the faces 1 of this disk or diaphragm may be suitably painted or coated if desired; The ring [4, which may be designated a bezel ring, serves to clamp the marginal portion of the diaphragm l3 between itself 7 and the face 3 of the ring I. The ring I4 is held to place by the screws l5. I6 are semi-circular cover or backing plates whichwhen present secure the diaphragm l3 to the faces of the gates and oppose any tendency which the diaphragm I 3 may have to sag. In assembling or transporting the device use is made of locking or stop pins ll, Figure '7, for holding the gates against undesirable movements of opening I or closing. These locking pins are shown as tubular fora purpose that will be described. When the device is in operative position these stop pins I! are removed i and replacedsby plugs similar to plugs l2 which do not engage the gates.

steam turbine in a bearing block shown a thin sheet or diaphragm of meta-l Betweenthe confronting edges of the gates there "is a center bar l8 over the face 19 of which the diaphragm l3 extends. There is a buffer for the gates when they open and it is shown to comprise an angle iron 20 disposed generally parallel= to the center bar l8 and provided with spring stops 2| As illustrative of one manner of use of the described relief valve reference is made to Figure 1 inwhich the relief valve is interposed in the blow-off or vent pipe AB of a steam turbine and the pipe A is normally under minus pressure It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement and in matters ofmere form Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: H l. A relief valve comprising the combination of, a ring provided at the inner edge with a rabbet or grooveconstituting a gate seat and or is connected with the condenser and the pipe B leads to the atmosphere; 22 are pipes "of theform of conic segments or conic frustums between the larger end of which the ring I is interposed causing the effective flow-area to be maintained substantially constant. There are flanges 23 between the pipe A and the pipe 22 and there is a flange 24 on the pipe element v22 by which it is bolted to the ring I. 25 is a drain suitably connected to vacuum and 26 is a drain connected to the atmosphere.

In describing the mode of operation of the relief valve in connection with its application to a turbine the intention is not to limit the invention to that particular application, because from the description it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the described relief valve is applicable to many other uses. Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in full lines in the drawings it is evident that the diaphragm l3 seals the sub-atmospheric pressure of the pipe A in respect to the atmospheric pressure of the pipe B. Obviously the diaphragm I3 prevents infiltration of air from pipe B to pipe A, and it ,1 forms normally a perfect seal between pipes A 1 and B. If the pressure in the pipe A rises slightly above the pressure in thepipe B, for example by reason of the failure of "the water supply in the condenser of the turbine, the result might be' "to cause serious trouble at the tail of the turbine but that does not happen; on thecontrary, the gates open as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 toward the buffer 20 and in doing so shear or rupture the marginal portion of thediap'hragnr 13, thus breaking it and'permittingfree and unobstructed vent from pipe A to pipe B and thence I to the'atmosphere.

The ring I is set .at an inclination to the vertical in its mounting and the purpose .of this is to eliminate any possibility of the gates exerting a stress upon the diaphragm,

\ and to keep the gates seated during periods when the pressure is equalized on :both sides of the gates. The valve is then serviced. For this purpose it is dismounted and since it is structurally very heavy it is shown asprovided with eyes .21, Figure 4. The ruptured diaphragm or thin sheet .ofmetal, as lead I3, is replaced by a new sheet and the valve is returned to its original mountring. During the removal and remountinguse .is'

made of the pins I! which serve to prevent the gates from flapping. After the serviced valve has been restored to its mounting these pins I1 .should be removed and replaced by solid plugs,

which do not engage the gates.

.place no substantial vacuumcan be established in the pipe A and this gives notice that the tubular.

pins should be removed and replaced by plugs.

Of course in applying a diaphragm 13 in the manner indicated it is necessary to remove the ,bolts and lag screws by which the various parts are held in place as shown in the drawings and, to thereafter replace them.-

To insure that this he done the pins I! are made tubular and :if they are accidentall 'permitted to remain in defining a face, a pair of semi-circular gates diametrically pivoted in the ring and normally closed in respect to the seat, a thin metallic sheet covering the face of the gates and the face of the ring and sealing the joint between the two,

and means for pivotally supporting said gates comprising pivots, sleeves for the ipivots, .a. block of the general form of a truncated segment of a circle between which and the ring the sleeves are mounted, and screw elements having generally spherical ends confronting the ends of the pivots, said sheet constructed and arranged to .be ruptured when the gates are opened.

2. In apparatus of the type described, the combination of, a ring having pipe connections constructed for interposition between sections of :a

blow-off pipe at a point to one side of which axis .of the ring into open position, a sheet-metal disk overlying the high pressure face of the ring and the high pressure faces of "the gates when in closed position, a second ringoverlying the rim of the sheet-metal disk, semi-circular backing-up plates overlying the sheet-metal disk and secured to the gates, an annular portion of the sheetmetal disk being exposed between the second ring and the backing-up plates and in position to be sheared by the curved "edge portions .of the gates when opened, the first-mentioned ring being .at an inclination to the vertical to balance the weight of the gates, and said pipe connections having the-form of conic segments or frustums between the larger'ends ofwhich the :ring is interposed and the other ends .of which are .constructed to be connected to the blow off pipe sections.

3. A relief valve comprising, in combination,

' a, ring provided at its inner edge with .a rabbet defining a face, a second ring internally and diametrically defining flattened portions and detachably mounted in said rabbet and provided at its inner edge with a groove constituting a gate seat and defining .a face, a pair of diametrically pivoted semi-circular gates having rfiattened polar portions and normally closed in re- 7 .spect to 'said.seat,.a thin diaphragm vcove-ring .the

face .of the gates and the faces-of the first and second rings and sealing the joint between said parts, pivot pins projecting from the gates, hearing blocks of the form of truncated circular segments detachablyeonnected with the flattened portions of the second ring, andbearingsforsaid pins provided between the blocks and-the flattened portion of the second ring. f MERWYN C. RANDALL. 

